1. Field of the Invention
The present invention, in general, relates to a pair of pants worn over a person's legs and, more particularly, to a device and method for a shortening of a length of a leg of the pair of pants in appearance.
Pants are a common type of clothing worn by men, women and children. Styles, lengths and materials vary depending on the preferred embodiment of the pair of pants.
At times, a person wearing pants (or long-length shorts) may wish to quickly adjust a bottom length of the garment to a shorter length. For example, if a person is at a beach and wishes to enter the water on the shore without getting a bottom of their pants wet, a quick method to shorten the bottom length of the pants that they are wearing would be desirable.
If the weather on a particular day is especially hot and the person has chosen to wear long pants, a solution to quickly convert the pants into a shorter and, therefore, cooler length would also be desirable.
Other times, the person wearing pants may wish to promote a fashionable appearance of the pants by shortening the length of the pant legs. By shortening the length of the pants, a new style option is achieved for the same pair of pants. This allows the person to cost-effectively create several different looks from one single pair of pants.
Shorter pants known as “Capri” or “Gaucho” pants usually include a pant leg length that ends at about a mid-calf location on a leg of a wearer of the pants. However, Capri or Gaucho pants cannot be lengthened to cover an entire leg portion of the wearer, as the material is cut to the preferred mid-calf location. Also, the Capri pant does not include any excess material to be extended lower down the leg of the wearer, and in turn, makes the short length of the pant permanent. The wearer is therefore not able to convert the shorter length of the pant into a longer length, if desired.
A common practice to provide a shorter length of a pair of pants is by sewing. This process involves a removal of existing hem stitches already present on the pair of pants. A bottom hem stitch of the pants is removed to allow a new hem stitch to be sewn at a preferred shorter length location.
The pants are turned inside out and a bottom end of the pant leg is raised along an inside of the pant leg to the preferred shorter length location. Once the bottom end of the pant is at the preferred shorter length location, the bottom end is pinned in place. The new hem is created by sewing a cuff (i.e., bottom end of the pant) to the inside of the pant leg with a needle and thread.
Unless the person attempting to shorten the pants is skilled at sewing, the result of the shortening attempt may be less than desirable in appearance and potentially uneven in length.
Another method of shortening the pant leg length is to apply an adhesive tape. The pants are turned inside out and the bottom end of the pant leg is raised up to the preferred shorter length location. The adhesive tape is applied on the inside of the pant leg.
To apply the adhesive tape, a lower portion of the adhesive tape is applied around an entire interior circumference of the bottom end or cuff of the pant. An upper portion of the adhesive tape is applied to the inside fabric material of the pant leg.
To secure the adhesive tape, an iron is used to apply heat and pressure over the adhesive tape after it has been applied. The iron is applied over the adhesive tape along the interior circumference of the pant leg. Heat from the iron penetrating through the tape reaches an adhesive surface on the back of the tape and melts the adhesive into the fabric material of the pants.
After the adhesive has cooled, a bond is created between the adhesive tape and the fabric material that retains the bottom end or cuff of the pant at the preferred shorter length location on the inside of the pant leg.
Both of the above methods for sewing and applying the adhesive tape are time consuming and permanent. Once the pants have been shortened using these methods, removal of the adhesive tape or sewn on stitches is difficult and may result in damage to the fabric material of the pants.
In addition, if the fabric material has been cut to provide the shorter length, the pant leg length is no longer variable. The pants now include a length that is fixed in position and cannot be returned to the previous longer length, if desired.
A quick and non-permanent solution to shorten the length of the pant leg is to use pins. The pants are again turned inside out and the bottom end or cuff is raised to the preferred shorter pant leg length location. A plurality of pins or safety pins are inserted along the interior circumference of the pant leg.
Unfortunately using this method to secure the bottom end of the pant leg to the inside of the pant provides an unsightly appearance. A portion of a metal rod of the pin or safety pin can be seen (i.e., is visible) on an exterior of the pant leg.
Another problem with this method is that the person wearing the pants that have been shortened by use of pins may potentially be stabbed or injured. If one of the safety pins becomes loosened from its secured position or an exposed tip of the pin makes contact with a leg of the wearer, a potential for injury arises.
Accordingly, there exists today a need for a pant leg length shortening device and method that helps to ameliorate the above-mentioned problems and difficulties as well as ameliorate those additional problems and difficulties as may be recited in the “OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION” or discussed elsewhere in the specification or which may otherwise exist or occur and that are not specifically mentioned herein.
As various embodiments of the instant invention help provide a more elegant solution to the various problems and difficulties as mentioned herein, or which may otherwise exist or occur and are not specifically mentioned herein, and by a showing that a similar benefit is not available by mere reliance upon the teachings of relevant prior art, the instant invention attests to its novelty. Therefore, by helping to provide a more elegant solution to various needs, some of which may be long-standing in nature, the instant invention further attests that the elements thereof, in combination as claimed, cannot be obvious in light of the teachings of the prior art to a person of ordinary skill and creativity.
Clearly, such a device and method for shortening a length of a pant would be useful and desirable.
2. Description of Prior Art
Devices to shorten a length of a garment are, in general, known. For example, the following patent documents describe various types of these devices, some of which may have some degree of relevance to the invention. Other patent documents listed below may not have any significant relevance to the invention. The inclusion of these patent documents is not an admission that their teachings anticipate any aspect of the invention. Rather, their inclusion is intended to present a broad and diversified understanding regarding the current state of the art appertaining to either the field of the invention or possibly to other related or even distal fields of invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,748,058 to Steitle, that issued on Jul. 6, 2010;
U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,438 to Mc Kee, that issued on Jun. 25, 2002;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,805 to Cochran, that issued on Jun. 1, 1993;
U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,965 to Panner, that issued on Dec. 29, 1992;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,475 to Smart, that issued on May 2, 1989;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,160 to Le Roux, et al., that issued on Nov. 19, 1968;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,137,863 to Dimpfl, that issued on Jun. 23, 1964;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,726 to Wehrli, that issued on Dec. 6, 1960;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,962,724 to Wilkens, that issued on Dec. 6, 1960;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,869,138 to Hankoff, that issued on Jan. 20, 1959;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,596,112 to Aines, that issued on May 13, 1952;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,525,756 to Aines, that issued on Oct. 17, 1950;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,480,276 to Wilkenfeld, that issued on Aug. 30, 1949;
U.S. Pat. No. 2,247,601 to Buhrle, that issued on Jul. 1, 1941;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,815,702 to Cahn, that issued on Jul. 21, 1931;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,682,450 to Wanninger, et al., that issued on Aug. 28, 1928;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,567,460 to Parsons, that issued on Dec. 29, 1925;
U.S. Pat. No. 1,548,574 to Ade, that issued on Aug. 4, 1925; and
U.S. Pat. No. 1,106,375 to Grean, that issued on Aug. 11, 1914,
and including Design patents:
U.S. Design Pat. No. D590,568 to Crutchfield, that issued on Apr. 14, 2009;
U.S. Design Pat. No. D494,737 to Schaefer, that issued on Aug. 24, 2004; and
U.S. Design Pat. No. D360,742 to Wilkins, that issued on Aug. 1, 1995,
and including U.S. Patent Application Publications:
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0271683 to McCrary, et al., that published on Nov. 29, 2007.
While the structural arrangements of the above described devices may, at first appearance, have similarities with the present invention, they differ in material respects. These differences, which will be described in more detail hereinafter, are essential for the effective use of the invention and which admit of the advantages that are not available with the prior devices.